CITY OF AUSTIN LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE UPDATE
History
In October 2004, the City of Austin issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) in order to select a consulting firm to update the City's Zoning Code and supporting technical manuals. The RFQ indicated the City's preference for the updated code to incorporate more sustainable development patterns, integrated land use and transportation planning, and high-quality building, site, and urban design. The estimated budget for the update is $250,000.
City staff plans on presenting its recommendation for the consultant to Council in early 2005.
This update process will incorporate the City's other ongoing Land Development Code amendments such as the Transit-Oriented Development Ordinance and Council Member Brewster McCracken's Commercial Design Standards. At their November 4, 2004 meeting, Austin City Council adopted a resolution directing the City Manager to initiate changes to City Code for the Zoning and Neighborhood Planning Process. Specifically, Council reaffirmed its commitment to Neighborhood Planning and directed City Staff to improve transportation planning with neighborhood planning, codify design standards as desired by neighborhoods, and provide greater clarity and flexibility regarding Mixed-Use zoning categories.
A total re-write of the Land Development Code has been postponed indefinitely. However, changes continue to be made to the Code through the passage of new ordinances and amendments, such as the Commercial Design Standards Ordinance, which was approved in January 2007.
On Wednesday, June 18, 2008, the Austin City Council approved on first reading to move forward with an update to the Austin Tomorrow Plan, which has not been extensively amended since its approval in 1979. The update will be considered for final passage next month at the Council's Thursday, August 21, 2008 meeting.
Council also directed city staff to begin the process for a full-scale, new comprehensive plan, which is intended to both knit together all the current policies and take the city into the future. An updated plan addressing transportation, housing, land use, and the environment is intended to provide a new, less complicated and more directed Land Development Code. The new plan is expect to take two years to complete and cost $1.8 million. The process for completing the plan will also provide a forum for discussion of city-wide policy. The plan would be updated every five years.
Resources
Resolution adopted by City Council on November 4, 2004 [Adobe Acrobat File: 104 KB]
